Power
by Jen Targaryen-Stark
Summary: Jennifer Ross returns to Gotham expecting life to be dull and annoying, especially while being surrounded by Gotham's pretentious elite and her father. What she didn't count on was meeting Bruce Wayne. Building a friendship with him was easy. Hiding from a hired assassin, not so much. Bruce Wayne/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Power**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, or anything else Batman related. I only own Jennifer and anything else you do not recognize.

Note: This story takes place after the events of Batman Begins .

_Chapter 1: Mysterious Stranger_

Jennifer Ross did not enjoy a single moment of being in the presence of Gotham's elite, nor did she particularly enjoy being at a party of any sort. She much preferred a serene, calm environment where she would be allowed to relax and simply breathe. She was the type of person that did not enjoy or crave attention. She liked her peace.

But her father was, unfortunately, one of Gotham's elite; therefore Jennifer was forced to accompany him to the boring, undesired social event. She really didn't see what all the fuss was about. It was just rich people trying to prove they were wealthier than other rich people. A waste of time, really. Jennifer would rather be home reading a book while drinking some hot chocolate or a glass of wine. Alas, that was far from her current reality. She felt slightly uncomfortable in her one shoulder, green gown and her 6 inch high heels that her father demanded her to wear. Apparently, being short provided nothing towards sex appeal. And if Bruce Wayne, the Prince of Gotham, was going to be at that party, then she had to have sex appeal.

"Jenny, you have no idea the kind of opportunities working with Bruce Wayne would provide for me. He's single, you're single. I think you see where I'm going with this."

She did, in fact, and had fought the urge to snort when the comment was made. She had absolutely no interest in Wayne, despite his money (she was heir to a fortune, herself—money wasn't that alluring) or his dashing looks. He was just like the rest of the high class. Pretentious, self absorbed, and, let's not forget, irritating. He did make a spectacle of himself last year when he managed to burn down his mansion on his birthday—his only explanation or comment was that he was drunk. Of course he was easily forgiven; he was _Bruce Wayne, _one of the wealthiest men in Gotham. She did not personally know the man, but she had seen enough about him to be confident in her assumptions. Aside from her disdain towards the man, Jennifer happened to be in a relationship with Peter Duncan, a sort of starving artist (although she always took care of the starving part). Her father simply didn't know. She barely talked to him at all and that helped her keep her secrets.

She was particularly annoyed, though, at the fact that he called her Jenny. Being called that dreaded nickname was one of her biggest pet peeves. And her father would not stop calling her that. Not that it surprised her, considering the fact that she only met the man two months ago. She supposed she knew him when she was a mere baby, but held absolutely no recollection of the man. Then again, she had spent most of her life in boarding school, and then at the University of Florida. Her mom had died during childbirth, tragic yet plausible and Jennifer wasn't exactly affected by it. She never met the woman.

An old, kind looking man took a step towards her.

"Miss, would you like something to drink?" he asked, a smooth British accent lacing his voice. Jennifer took a glass of the wine and smiled at the man.

"Thank you, sir."

He smiled kindly and walked away and Jennifer was left alone to her musings once more. She was people watching. One of her most favorite hobbies—even if an ordinary person might consider it stalking. With a master's in psychology, she was able to tell a lot about a person, just by noticing some of their unconscious mannerisms. She barely saw crinkled eye corners–no one had a genuine smile. So she _wasn't_ the only one not enjoying herself.

She soon found herself walking aimlessly around, trying to avoid her father at all costs. She spotted him several times, talking with some business man or other. She knew that if he spotted her, she'd be dragged into a conversation that was of no interest to her. She couldn't give a damn about the business her father conducted with other men.

Fortunately for her, however, she overheard her father's boisterous deep voice calling out her name. There were a few people blocking his view of her and she took this as the perfect opportunity to conceal herself. She took a quick, observant look around to look for a place to hide, and much to her pleasure, saw a door not far from where she stood. She took a couple of steps backwards till her back was against the wall, and swiftly made her way into the room. She shut the door, leaning against it and sighed with relief. The dimly illuminated room was able to hide her for a bit while her father searched for her.

Her father was Jason Ross. He was the billionaire, handsome, and surprisingly young owner of Ross Inc. Ross Inc. was a technology company that developed and manufactured advanced weapon and defense technologies and mechanisms for the army. Truth be told, Jennifer was quite interested in the technological aspect of her father's line of work, yet never openly admitted it to him. She was too proud and stubborn for that.

"Wanted to take a breath, too?" The deep, manly, yet pleasant voice of a stranger greeted her and made her heart jump from surprise.

Jennifer nodded, yet realized it was stupid, because she doubted he'd be able to see her. "Yes. It can get a bit overwhelming."

"I know. I still haven't gotten used to it," the mysterious voice responded.

"That's not much of a relief. I only arrived here two months ago. I was hoping these gatherings could at least become tolerable," Jennifer said, moving away from the door and towards the center of the room, just in case someone decided to come snooping, open the door, and have her end up with a concussion.

"You're Jennifer Ross."

"The one and only. Wow, the information around here moves with an astonishing velocity," she said, humor lacing her tone of voice and causing the mysterious stranger to chuckle.

"You could say that. Mrs. Jenkins likes to spread news around her social circle like wildfire," he said, his own voice hosting a humorous tone.

"Ah, yes, I met her. She's quite a character, isn't she?" Jennifer asked rhetorically.

"Yes, she is something."

Throughout the entire exchange, Jennifer was kept wondering who the kind, pleasant stranger was. He was young, she could tell by his voice—late twenties, most likely—and he seemed to need a break from the shudder-inducing gossip that continuously occurred within the social circles of Gotham's socialites, just like her.

"Anyone else I might need to be careful around?" she asked, honestly etching this information into her brain. She really wanted to know who to avoid.

"Well, there's Erik Gibbons. They say he's a fascist. Then again, that source is not entirely reliable," he chuckled.

"Does that source happen to be Mrs. Jenkins?" she asked, a smirk working its way onto her face.

"You're a fast learner, aren't you Ms. Ross?" the stranger asked, a smile evident in his voice.

"I guess I am."

They elapsed into a comfortable silence, in which Jennifer debated on whether to ask the stranger of his identity. She was genuinely curious as to whom this man was—he was one of the few people she had met in Gotham that didn't have a stick the size of a baseball bat implanted up their anus. On the other hand, she was a bit wary of disappointment if it was someone she wasn't too fond of.

Curiosity won over her wariness, and she opened her mouth to ask him who he was.

Before a single sound was uttered, the door behind her swung open, its hinges squeaking slightly, and the tall, unmistakable silhouette of her father stood before her.

"Jenny, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere. There's someone I'd like you to meet," he said, his words civil and dulcet, yet the tone in which they were spoken was sulfurous and harsh. Jason Ross was not a happy man.

Jennifer smiled sarcastically at her father, yet kept her words sweet, for the sake of the stranger in the room.

"Of course, father. I'd love to meet them."

However, her father was exceedingly concentrated on something behind her to realize the cynicism in her words.

"Bruce Wayne," he said with a smirk. Her father glanced at Jennifer, a dark glint in his eyes with a shimmer of smugness. _Hell no!_

Jennifer turned around and looked at the man she was chatting with previously. He was tall—a lot taller than she expected—and with a muscular built that fitted him just as well as the expensive looking suit he was wearing. His dark brown hair was slicked back stylishly, and his brown—or were they green?—eyes were shinning with something she couldn't quite place, yet his handsome face held no emotion except for the small, forced smirk that rested on his lips.

He stepped forwards, towards Jennifer and Jason. He stood right in front of them, and Jennifer had to look up to meet his gaze, despite the six-inch heels she was wearing.

"Mr. Ross," he spoke civilly, nodding in acknowledgement to the forty-six year old, while he kept his gaze on the light brown, doe shaped eyes of the girl in front of him. He bent down slightly and took her hand, not missing how his calloused hand dwarfed her small and delicate one. He placed a kiss on the back of her hand, and noticed a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ross."

**Note: **Hello, you. This is my second attempt at a Batman fanfiction and I really hope you all enjoy it. I'm not an expert author (I'm only eighteen), but I hope that I can continue to learn. I wrote a Batman one about two years ago that I never finished. I went back and read it and actually blushed out of embarrassment. So, I decided to give it another shot. I decided to dub this a "pilot chapter". It is basically a test chapter. This is because I want to see how it's received, so, readers, please review. If you like this story and would like to see it continued please let me know, otherwise I'll just take it down and start working on something else.

Updates will probably be once a week, and maybe more if I feel inspired. For news about updates and the such follow me on twitter. I'll answer any questions you have! Username is: heyitsjennel (Jennel Abreu)

Now, about my OC. I'm not going to make her into Batwoman or Batgirl or any vigilante. I thought about it but figured it was too cliché. Not that some authors can't pull it off, but I wanted to try something a bit more _normal_. Jennifer is an ordinary girl with no deep dark secret of being a vigilante or killing someone, and she isn't completely gorgeous. She's just a girl who is not too fond of her father and is trying to survive her misadventures in Gotham. I think this makes her a lot more identifiable to my readers, so I wrote her as such.

So thank you all so much for reading up to now, and I beg you to review. Thank you so much!


	2. Chapter 2

**Power**

Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, or anything else Batman related. I only own Jennifer and anything else you do not recognize.

Note: This story takes place after the events of Batman Begins.

_Chapter 2: This is Gotham_

The silence between Jennifer and her father in the car ride to their house was a bit awkward, admittedly. He kept smirking darkly over at her, and she simply just felt uncomfortable. She looked out the window, hoping to avoid his intense stare and instead focused on the sights that the city of Gotham provided.

"Jenny," her father started, causing Jennifer to roll her eyes at the stupid name. She really hated that nickname. "You know we have to talk about this."

She shifted her gaze back to the man and shrugged. "Dad, there really isn't anything to talk about."

"Yes, there is, Jennifer. That was Bruce Wayne and he seemed to take a liking to you."

"I realize who he is, Dad, and I can assure you, he didn't. He was just being polite," Jennifer said, shifting her gaze once more towards the window. Her heart stopped suddenly as she saw two, obviously muscled men, punch a young woman, not much older than she was, and drag her into an ally. Jennifer's heart sunk to her stomach and she was horrified to see nobody doing anything to help the girl.

"Stop the car," she told the chauffeur and made a hasty move to open the door once the Audi came to a screeching halt. Jason's hand on her wrist stopped her and she looked back at him. He was staring at her in bewilderment and confusion.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" he asked her, his eyebrows furrowing.

"These two men…they just dragged a girl into an ally. Dad, we have to help her," Jennifer said, once again reaching for the door, only to be stopped by her father. He rolled his eyes and motioned for the driver to continue towards the house and lock the doors before Jennifer decided to throw herself out the car.

"Dad, we have to help. This is not okay," she said, almost pleadingly to her father.

"Jenny, sweetheart, this is Gotham. Nothing that happens in this city is _okay_. I'm willing to bet that at least…_six_ other girls are being dragged into an ally and being raped and about ten other people are being mugged. Maybe even more." Jennifer looked at him incredulously. "Gotham has the highest crime rate in America, darling. Things like that happen every night."

She was shocked. "And what are the cops here for?"

"Cops? About ninety-five percent of the people who are supposed to be protecting this city are corrupt. They don't give a damn about what happens to the people in this city."

"Well someone has to be doing _something_." Jennifer sincerely hoped that something was being done about the crime in Gotham.

"Well, there is the Batman," her father said, heavily mocking tone and disdain not failing to make its presence known.

Jennifer paused for a moment. "…The Batman?"

"Yeah. It's just some psycho that dresses like a bat and tries to bring peace and justice into Gotham," Jason said, rolling his eyes and looking out the window carelessly.

"Well, is it working?" Jennifer asked, hoping desperately that it was. Things couldn't continue to be like this is Gotham. Everyone would end up killing each other, one way or another. And if a man dresses like a bat was protecting the city, then she would accept that. At least he was trying.

"Well, crime rate hasn't increased, if that means anything. Some criminals are scared, but others aren't as much. People are too scared to lose their money more than they're scared of a giant man that dresses up like a bat."

"And people approve of him?" Jennifer asked, incredulously.

"Well, he doesn't kill them," Jason said, an expression of cynical amusement present on his face.

"He doesn't? Well, why not? Doesn't he think that those people should die?" Jennifer asked, bemused.

"_Those people_? Jennifer, there are multiple ways that crime can be used to our advantage." Jennifer glared and resisted showing him the repulsed look that threatened to take over her countenance. "Besides, you shouldn't question the inner workings of a man that fights crime dressed like an animal. Have you not heard about any of this before now, Jennifer?"

"I've heard rumors, mostly from Alex. I actually didn't think that Gotham was this bad—having Batman save people instead of cops, who are the ones who are supposed to actually be helping us. It's repulsive."

"Yeah, well, you're going to have to get used to it, Jenny. Gotham's not going to change, no matter who helps."

They got to the Ross estate, a large mansion made out of mostly white walls and large windows. It was incredibly spacious, exceedingly so, considering only three people—Jennifer, her father, and Dana, the cook and maid—lived in it. It was beautiful, Jennifer couldn't deny that—but it wasn't home. Jennifer went to her room, and changed into her comfortable pajamas, a red tank top and grey sweatpants. She washed her face, laid down, and marked the number to call her best friend, Alexander West.

"Hello?" the slightly muffled voice of her best friend came through the phone.

"Alex? It's Jenn. Are you okay? You sound like you were crying," Jennifer said, concern lacing her voice. Her best friend didn't just cry for nothing.

"I am crying, and I'm not okay."

"Alex, what's wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?"

"The only thing that's hurt is my heart," he said into the phone and a distinct sob was heard. "Jackson found out I was gay, in love with him, and told his dad. So now, I'm heartbroken, with no boyfriend, and without a job."

Alex was Kinsey six gay. And the best friend Jennifer had ever had. He was hilarious and always provided for a good time, which is why Jennifer loved him. Also, he didn't mind the girly talk that she often involved him in—in fact, he seemed more into their musings than she did. He worked for Erik Gibbons as his company's Head of Management. Gibbons' son, Jackson, was a gangly fellow, but as straight as they come. And Alex was head over heels in love with him.

"What do you mean no job?" Jennifer asked, not talking about Jackson. She didn't want Alex to think about those problems right now. As a best friend, her right was to make him feel good.

"He fired me."

"Why?"

"Because he's a homophobe that told me that I probably carried six STDs in me. And I called him a fascist," Alex said, not sounding as muffled as before.

"So, the rumors are true," Jennifer said.

"I don't have an STD," Alex said and Jennifer could picture him rolling his eyes at her.

"I meant about Gibbons being a fascist." The two friends burst out laughing, something they couldn't go without doing every five minutes. They were a source of amusement for each other. However, Alex sobered up fast.

"He called me a liar because I told him I was straight with a girlfriend. I mean, I did it because I knew I couldn't get so close to him if he knew I wasn't straight."

Jennifer sighed. "Your life is like an 80s movie. It's _Lucas_ and you're the gay version of Corey Haim. Sure, you're not scrawny, wear glasses, or almost got murdered on the football field after foolishly trying out for the team, and your best friend—me—is not Charlie Sheen, but you did lie like he did."

"Geez, Jennifer, you're such a ray of sunshine."

"Well, Alex, look on the bright side. At least you didn't have Christian Slater trying to get you to drink Drano or Michael J. Fox shredding your back with his wolf claws or Chevy Chase taking you on the road trip from hell."

"You're so morbid and you're not really making me feel better," Alex whined into the phone.

"Well, I got news that might brighten up your day a bit. I met Bruce Wayne."

"No _way_! Is he as hunky as he looks on the tabloids? Or as tall?" Alex perked up. He really was boy crazy.

"Actually, yeah, he is. And that answers both questions," Jennifer said, not managing to stop the deep blush that took over her cheeks.

"Oh, Jennifer, are you blushing? Wow, I can tell when you're blushing even when I'm not with you. I know you so well, and you're such a prude. Come on, I bet you're willing to dump that slug Peter for Mr. Wayne," Alex said. Alex wasn't overly fond of Jennifer's relationship with Peter. In his opinion, he was an asshole and if he had his way, Peter would be a gold digger someplace else. Whenever he mentioned this little theory, Jennifer would roll her eyes and disregard his opinion. She was blinded by love—and it wasn't even love, he was sure.

"Peter is not a slug," Jennifer said. She was feeling guilty now. She name 'Peter' hadn't even crossed her thoughts since she met Bruce Wayne, and that was definitely a bad thing.

"Jennifer, come on, you basically support him. Admit it, you're his sugar momma," Alex said, hoping to make Jennifer reason things.

"I am not," she said, starting to get angry. "He just needs a bit of financial support now, until he can manage to stand on his own two feet."

"Jennifer, Peter is twenty-six. He's a big boy and if he can't take care of himself, that has absolutely nothing to do with you. You're so blind," Alex reprimanded Jennifer.

"Alex, I can't talk about this right now. I'm tired. So, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" Jennifer said, avoiding the argument that was obviously brewing between the two friends.

"You can't avoid this forever," Alex said, and Jennifer heard the dial tone. She couldn't help but think he was right.

**Note: Hello, you all! Thank you for reading and for reviewing. I honestly hope you guys are enjoying this so far! Don't forget to let me know what you think of this so far. Thank you!**

**Krikanalo: **Thank you so much! And I'm glad you like Jennifer!

**Highlander348: **She might've made a good Batgirl because she's so stubborn, but she's also a girl who has never fought in her life. She doesn't take well to new things, as you'll come to see later on. And she's also kind of a coward. Thank you for reading!

**Aly: **Thank you so much. I really wanted my readers to identify with Jennifer, and I'm glad to see that at least one of them did.

**The Mortal Knight: **Thank you so much for your review. And yes, I really wanted to make Jennifer just a normal girl. :)


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